When blogging for small businesses, techniques and planning can make or break your efforts. A blog should draw in potential clients, please subscribers, and generally increase your presence in a busy industry.
But that’s no secret. The difficult part is deciding how to reach these goals. Experts know that there are 3 ways to generate leads and raise visitor numbers: creative SEO placement, blending personable with professional, and release timing to capitalize on industry trends.
Creative SEO Placement
Perhaps the best-known tactic, SEO usage lets you get your brand and message across. On the surface, this seems like a no-brainer easy task: simply plug the words in and watch the view tally rise. But that isn’t quite the situation.
SEO placement in a blog can lead to initial growth, but then those views taper off. One reason for this is “lazy” word or phrase placement, which ultimately hits a mark but doesn’t go any further.
With creative use, key words and phrases can continue giving results long after a blog is posted. The trick is to use them organically and to avoid hitting your readers over the head. Bad repetition can turn away readers just as fast as it pulls them in. Blogging for small businesses requires some finesse, with each SEO spot carefully chosen. This is not a “first draft” situation–a blog must be re-evaluated before being posted. Failure to do this results in a transparent write-up that no one will finish.
Personal/Professional Blogging
“Voice” is an important element of blogging for small businesses. Depending on the brand, you typically want blogs to fall somewhere in-between. Clearly, you want to avoid overly-casual blogs that might alienate certain visitors. Relying on slang words and attitude alone is just as bad as posting a dense read that is impossible to penetrate.
Your blogs require a mix of casual and professional. For one thing, that comes off as more realistic, mimicking the way many people discuss important topics or sell products. Shoot for friendly, but informative. Detailed, but not intimidating. This way you can present your brand as open to conversation, yet knowledgeable. Helpful, but hard-working. You get the idea.
Trendy Timing
Timing, as they say, is everything. And so is planning. When you want to get a campaign across, it is important to pick the right day of release to catch a reader’s attention. For example, the language of your blog can use cultural items; this way your blog will show up in unexpected places. On the flip side, trends can be utilized to hit that mainstream sweet spot as well.
Look for popular topics and products in your industry. When blogging, take these into consideration and be prepared to schedule the release while such things are hot. After all, attempting to capitalize on a trend after it’s over is not only ineffective, but can put your company in a bad light. You don’t want your blogs to do damage by indicating that you are behind the times.
Generating Results for Small Businesses
Blogging for small businesses is a necessary tool to generate leads, grow sales numbers, and to gain attention. However, like any tool, using it incorrectly does your brand zero favors.
This is why it’s important to hire quality blog writers who know their stuff: how to drop those SEO words and phrases into dynamic spots, how to creatively get your brand across, and finally, when to do it. Contact Quill Marketing today. Our team knows these tricks well, along with a few more on the side.